A Dark Day
by Schingiuire Vristalica
Summary: A 'what if' imagining of a particular episode. Cora gains control of Rumple through the dagger.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters or story to Once Upon a Time

**Author's Note**: Idle writing after being trapped inside my apartment for days on end from the snow storm. Just a little re-imagination of a particular episode. Love/hate it as you will. I may continue it in the future.

OoOoO

Cora stepped through the doorway of the courthouse, breathing deep of the afternoon air as she gripped the Dark One's dagger in an ungloved hand. The feel of the dagger's metal in her hand, the thrum of power which pulsed and slithered through the blade like a serpentine slug oozed across her flesh, yet left no mark. It was the very same feeling of Rumplestiltskin's touch, something she would never forget.

Those few who recognized her through the town stopped, stunned as they watched her stride into the center of Main Street, followed by Regina. No one living in this generation remembered the Dark One being captive. There were only stories now, stories of men who had possessed the dagger and controlled the Dark One.

Regina breathed slow, heavy breaths as she tried to keep her cool. "Are you sure this is going to work?" she asked, avoiding eye contact with a small group of the dwarves who had paused in front of Granny's to watch. Rumplestiltskin was notorious for being very cruel to those who dared cross him. She was quite sure this deep in the realms of getting them killed if something went wrong.

"Oh it will work," Cora replied with a sinister smile at her daughter. "The moment Rumple steps back into Storybrooke, he'll be ours and with that power, the entire town will bow to us."

Rumplestiltskin knew they had entered Storybrooke, his eyes snapping open as the ship settled at the town docks. His heart froze, then gave one deep thrum as his chest began to heal. Back within the reach of magic he was immortal once more and simple injuries such as a stab wound were nothing but an annoyance.

Breathing slowly, he pushed off the blanket and threw the blood soaked towel to the side. Emma watched him, cation etched onto her features as a hand slowly drew her pistol from its holster.

"Feeling better?" she asked, though he knew it was a distraction in attempt to find out if he was being controlled. "Mr. Gold?"

Rumple half turned, giving her one of his best charming smiles. "Much, Miss Swan," he replied.

There was a wrench of his heart and he knew, with all certainty, his dagger was possessed by another. He could almost feel their life force, a soft ringing in his ears from it.

"Is she controlling you?" Emma's concern was almost tangible.

Closing his eyes, Rumple relaxed himself, half turning to give her a shrug. "Not yet. You'll know when she is, because you'll be dead."

Neil stood in the doorway, watching with deepening concern as his father strode past him without using his cane. That was more than troubling. Rumplestiltskin liked to keep up airs for this world, blending into humans like he was still one and giving most a false sense of security. The magic here wasn't strong enough to make the darkness rot within him visible on the surface like from their homeland, but Neil was sure if his father concentrated enough magic his features would change. That was what he was looking for now. Even a simple change in eye color could give them that seconds notice that Cora had commanded him to kill every one of them. They wouldn't have much of a chance, he knew that more than anyone here, but they might be able to get away given that second.

David was waiting for them at the dock, Snow White and Red beside him as they watched, all looking at Rumple as he walked almost with a merry jaunt across the dock and stood before them. The prince kept his right hand low, light glinting from the blade of his sword as his eyes flicked across the group. Rumple chuckled, giving a slight shrug.

"I feel fine, thanks for asking."

Cora felt a pulse from the dagger, an invisible tendril of that oozing power wrapping around her arm like a sliming tentacle. "He's here," she commented softly to Regina. "He's back in the town lines. Now we find out how well this works."

Regina took a step back, looking over her shoulder as she tried to stand strong. She watched Leroy pace on the sidewalk, eyes narrowed in their direction. They were trying to figure out what the sorceress' were up to, and how bad it was going to get.

"Mother," Regina started, but was cut off as the older woman held the dagger aloft, staring hard at the name etched onto the blade.

"Hear me Dark One," her voice called loud, carried through the town by a sudden gust of wind. "I command ye, appear before me!"

Leroy's eyes widened as he looked to his brothers. "She's got the dagger! Get everyone off the street!" With that, he rushed toward the two, hoping he could maybe catch them off guard.

Neil stepped behind his father, nodding to David. "You know where she is?"

"No, but I think we will sooner than later. We need to get somewhere safe."

Rumple inclined his head, sliding his hands into his pockets. "My shop," he stated simply, already feeling the much dreaded pinpricks along his spine. "There are wards that can be activated around my shop." His words were distracted, something not lost upon those present. Turning, he leveled his gaze at Emma, tilting his head back with a tense smile. "Get yourselves into my shop. You'll see symbols on the doorway. Get chalk, draw the missing line between the two near the handle and the entire shop will be warded against anything magical coming your way."

Emma's frown deepened, forehead creasing as she digested his instructions. "What? I don't have a cl-," but the Dark One had vanished, wispy threads of purple smoke curled where he had been but moments before.

Neil grabbed her arm, shooting a worried look at David. "We need to get to his shop. You know where it is?" At the confirming nod he pushed Emma for the truck. "Get in, we won't have much time. He just bought us as much time as he could. It's all up to us now."

Henry looked between them all, even Red's breath had caught as she looked up to the darkening clouds. "Cora has him now, doesn't she?" the boy's concerned voice breaking the rest of the group from their shock. "We're all going to die aren't we?"

"No, no we are not," David barked, snatching Henry up and dumping him into the bed of the truck. Snow and the others quickly followed as David jumped into the driver's seat and slammed the car into gear.

Regina looked to the sky, watching dark clouds swirl around above them, blotting out the sunlight and giving everything a false night. Cora stared at the dagger, a grin spreading over her face as Rumplestiltskin appeared in purple smoke.

"Well well well," he purred, voice hitching into a higher pitch as he leveled his entire attention onto the pair. "Mother and daughter reunited. I'm touched."

"Hello, Rumple," Cora smiled, lowering the dagger and holding it close to her chest. "I'm glad to see you are well. We were worried about you." She took a slow step toward him, but the Dark One did not move as if rooted to the spot as a wind picked up and tore at his suit coat.

Cora stopped a bare foot from him, tilting her head to the side. Smiling, she reached up a hand, trailing the tips of her fingers along his chin. The very action wiped away what strained smile had settled itself over Rumple's expression. His dark eyes dropped to the dagger in her grasp, upper lip quivering. No one else had ever possessed the dagger in his many years. He'd been very careful, having seen first hand what could happen when he had first gained it with Zoso.

Now, with experience from the other side, he realized exactly why Zoso never just reached out and snatched the dagger back. There was a force that gripped him when the thought crossed his mind. He literally could not lift his arm and reach out. It was so close and he was completely incapable of taking his dagger back.

"Yeah, I bet you were," he growled in reply, his eyes snapping back to hers. By now his son and the Charmings would be near his shop. It looked as if Cora was too caught up in basking in her new power to set him on anyone so soon.

"Mother!" Regina's voice cut through the wind, and she turned to see one of the dwarves, Grumpy, lunge for her hand, for the dagger.

"No! Stop him!" Cora ordered, throwing up a hand to ready a spell, but the man flew back with a startled cry, his body crashing into a parked car and leaving a sizable dent. The slumped figure didn't move, and Cora felt her chest swell with barely contained glee.

Lowering her hand, she turned slowly back to Rumple, who had his own hand raised and a dark look of rage across his features. From the way he trembled, it was clear he had fought and lost miserably.

"Oh Rumple," she purred, cupping his cheek in her hand. "I knew you and I would be so good together. We just needed a little help." Lifting the dagger, Cora turned it slowly with a smile. "Quit with the theatrics, you're messing up my hair, and you know Regina doesn't enjoy storms."

The Dark One twitched, ever so slightly, but Regina caught it. The wind cut off, clouds clearing slowly as Rumple's lips spread into a strained smile. "Enjoy your new power, Cora. The first second I gain the chance, your body will be spread so far across this town they will still be picking pieces of you out of the gutter for months to come."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note**: I was a little surprised at the encouraging comments for this story, and I offer those who did a deep bow of gratitude. Here is another part to my 'locked in the apartment' story. Thank you to the guest commenter who noticed and pointed out my mistake with David's name. That little detail has been repaired in the previous part.

**Part Two**

Cora answered his threat with a smile, hugging the dagger to her chest as if it were a most precious gift from a long lost lover. She leaned close to him, whispering softly into his ear as he stood rigid and carefully watching her every movement.

"Of course you will, Rumple dear, but in this moment you're mine. I expect our rekindled relationship to last quite some time." She took a step back, half turning to stretch a hand out to her daughter. "Regina," she purred, a viper's smile decorating her lips.

Regina, her eyes drawn away from the still unmoving form of one of Snow White's most loyal protectors by the inviting sound of her mother's voice. It was a sound of acceptance and partnership she had so longed for. A smile spread over the younger woman's lips, accepting Cora's hand and stepping beside her. Regina met Rumplestiltskin's withering gaze, a swell of victory and pride filling her chest.

"Now, my darling Regina," Cora began, pulling her daughter close as she smiled. "You told me you wanted to be loved by these people at one time." Her voice rose, eyes sweeping those few who still remained watching the drama on the street and those who cowered within their shops and stores to peer from windows. "These are the people who spurned and scorned you at every turn."

Cora stretched out her arm, the Dark One's dagger held between them though she never relaxed her white knuckled grip. Regina's eyes were drawn to the weapon, but then it was so much more than a simple weapon. It was a leash and collar all in one. Reaching out, Regina ran one slender finger over Rumplestiltskin's etched name.

"Yes," Regina grinned, her own expression taking on venomous proportions. "Yes they are." Her eyes flickered across the dagger, then to Rumplestiltskin, shifting to scan across the town and seeing everything in an entirely new perspective. "Not anymore."

Straightening, Regina leveled her gaze upon the Dark One, a hard look etching into her features. This time she would win. There were no more games and no more obstacles. "Where are they?" she growled, unseen sparks crackling between her fingers as her magic answered her emotions.

Rumplestiltskin tilted his head forward, arms crossing over his chest as he smirked to both his former students. "They, dearie? I'm afraid I don't follow."

"Don't play dumb with me, Rumple. You know exactly who I'm talking about. Where is Snow White and her annoying offspring? Where is my son?" Regina felt power swell within her, catching the slight rise of her mother's head from the corner of her eye. Cora was proud and Regina felt the acceptance she had always craved from her mother since she was old enough to understand the meaning of judgement.

The dagger would bind him to the order of its possessor, but that did not prevent him from playing coy or dancing around the subject. He was, after all, the master of technicalities and details. Snapping his fingers, Rumplestiltskin tilted his head back. "Ahh yes, you mean Mary, Emma, and Henry. How could I have forgotten."

He was stalling, and Cora knew it even if Regina had not fully grasped his game yet. She tapped the dagger against her thigh, watching him play games with her daughter. The sorceress' smile never wavered or gave any hint to her thoughts. She had been trained by the best, after all.

"You're enjoying yourself, Rumple?" Cora asked as if cooing to an over excited child.

"Oh, I could do this all day, dearie," he returned, tight grin tugging at his lips though it could just as easily have been interpreted as a wolfish baring of teeth.

Regina's frown deepened, fists clenching at her sides but a long and colorful relationship with the Dark One was still deeply ingrained upon her pyche. This was a man only the desperate or completely mad would ever cross.

"Then lets try something a little more entertaining for all of us," Cora offered. "You don't have to know where they are, Regina. All you have to do is send our new dog to fetch."

Rumple's smug expression twisted, his head angling forward as his glare leveled with Regina's. "Do be careful," he purred. "Holding that dagger changes nothing. Any magic I perform at your desire will cost you."

"Price has never mattered," Regina growled. "If it means getting my son back and keeping control of this town, I will pay with every precious thing I own."

"Shame that he's not your son then, isn't it, dearie? He's Snow White's grandson, named after your father. The one you killed to take revenge on the woman whose blood you are now trying to win the affection of." He half turned, shrugging a shoulder as he smirked at those dark, angry eyes. "Raising him doesn't make him your son. That just makes you desperate. If you kill his newly found grandmother, I can guarantee the price you'll pay will be losing his love forever."

Regina grabbed the front of his coat, glaring into his eyes as she nearly shook with rage. "You organized all of this, you bastard," she accused.

Choosing this moment to step in, Cora rested a hand on Regina's arm. "Keep a rational mind, dear," she cooed softly, waiting until Regina had released her hold on the Dark One. "The solution to all of this is very simple." Raising her free hand, she swept several wild locks of hair from Regina's face like any doting mother would. "Rumple, bring my daughter Snow White's heart."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note**: And the madness continues. This being my first Once fiction, I'm interested if any of the readers have ideas or notes they'd like to make about future events. This doesn't really have an ending in mind, it's just writing practice.

**Part Three**

David was sure Cora would spend several minutes gloating over Rumplestiltskin. He hoped that was enough time for them to reach Gold's shop and activate whatever ward he had been talking about. Speeding through the town, David felt overwhelmed by the thousand thoughts clashing through his mind, each one demanding attention over all others. However, only a single one stole his focus, at least for the moment. Rumplestiltskin, the Dark One, the single most powerful sorcerer of dark magic known to his, and possibly every other, realm, was now being controlled by a woman who whished them no good will. David had seen the Dark One's magic before, the ability that one man commanded with a simple thought or wave of his hand. He could stop or start wars for an afternoon's entertainment, wreck lives and secure others.

David had no love for the man, and had been one of the few who instrumented Rumplestiltskin's imprisonment. It was strange, though. Rumple had never been a direct enemy. He had never outright attacked them. It was always schemes and tricks, the little deals he would work to get what he wanted. Regina and Cora were completely different. They were perfectly willing to kill to get what they wanted. With the Dark One's power at their disposal, how could he and the others possibly stand against that sort of evil combination?

Casting a side glance at the strange man who was now sitting in the passenger's seat, gripping at the door as David sped with little regard for traffic law, he wondered if this was the son of Rumplestiltskin. There was a story here, and one he intended to find out later when time allowed. Wasn't the Dark One several hundred years old? How exactly did he have a son who looked perfectly normal?

"Watch out!" Neil growled, bracing himself against the dash as David slammed the break peddle into the floor. No doubt everyone in the back were being thrown about.

He avoided colliding with another car, ignoring the worried look on the face of a townsman he didn't immediately know the name of. No doubt with the show going on in the sky everyone would know something was very wrong. It was interesting, living in this town. In the Enchanted Forest they were all miles from each other. The Dark One lived in his castle, secluded from the world unless someone either made the trip or summoned him. Regina likewise lived far from civilization after she had been banished. Villages and towns were spread far and wide. Here in this town, Storybrooke, they all lived so close to each other. Not for the first time David wondered if Regina's dark curse had captured everyone or maybe only those she disliked.

Ahead, Gold's shop came into view. Snatching the wheel, David skidded to a stop on the curb, leaping from the driver's seat. His passengers fell out of the truck bed, Ruby looking a bit ill from the ride.

"What's going on?" Emma questioned as they all paused to look up at the clearing sky.

"We need to get inside," Snow announced, giving Henry a bit of a push toward the door.

The bell chimed merrily, David quickly pushing the door shut and twisting the simple lock. How amusing that Rumplestiltskin had a deadbolt on his door. Neil pushed forward, running his fingers along the doorway.

"Here," he growled, tapping a finger on what David had assumed was a small scratch in the wood. On closer inspection it looked like some sort of magical rune. "We need to connect this one," he slid a finger over the wood. "To this one."

Turning, Neil cast a quick glance around the shop. Snatching a golden and jeweled dagger from a nearby display, he dragged the blade tip through the wood to connect the two marks.

"That should buy us more time but it won't keep him out for very long." Neil stepped back from the door, knuckles white around the hilt of the dagger.

David brushed a hand over his face, half turning to look around the dimly lit shop. "Is there some kind of weapon here we can use? You're his son, right? Is there any weakness we don't know about?"

Emma brushed a hand over her belt, pulling her pistol from its holster and began to check the weapon over. Ruby gripped Henry's shoulders, leading him near the wall where she hugged him against her side out of the way.

"There's got to be something," Snow whispered, listening to the sudden stillness outside, her wide eyes settling on Neil.

Feeling their eyes upon him, Neil turned his back to the door, running his hands over his hair as he sighed. "He's got one weakness, and its apparently in the hands of someone who wants to kill you all. The only thing that could stop him is the Dark One dagger. It's the only thing that can control him, kill him, or hurt him."

A loud snap filled the shop as Emma readied her weapon. "I have nine rounds here that would disagree."

David frowned, gritting his teeth as he stepped back to glance around the shop for a sword. Surely Rumple would have several around here somewhere.

"That's not going to work," Neil stated simply, waving a hand almost dismissively at the gun. "Not while he has access to magic anyway."

"I get that he is supposed to be some super powered immortal sorcerer, but you can't seriously tell me if I put enough holes in him he won't stay down." Emma's glare burned into her ex-boyfriend, who ignored her eyes to glance toward the door.

David located a weapon, a simple sword with a slightly worn blade. He had no idea who it had belonged to before this moment but he was glad for whatever deal left it in the Dark One's care. Turning, feeling the sharpness, he half glanced to Emma. "It wouldn't matter. He can dodge just about everything you throw at him. I've fought him several times and was abled to only scratch him once."

The room became quiet, Snow White crossing her arms, bottom lip clenched in her teeth as she accepted a second found sword from her prince. Testing the blade's weight in her hand, she looked up as Neil finally spoke again, a slight tremor in his voice.

"When I was younger, still with him after he'd," he paused again, closing his eyes and swallowing. "After he'd turned. He made a deal with some knight. I didn't know the details, I didn't want to know. Never did. The knight didn't want to pay up because he felt he had the strength to defeat my father. He found where we were living, challenged Pa to a fight. He ran Pa through, I saw the sword go right through his chest and come out the other side."

Neil raised his head, turning his back to the group to peak through one of the shop's windows and into the street. "There wasn't any blood, not a drop. Pa just stood there, like he was shocked for a minute before he started laughing. So the guy pulled out his sword and Pa didn't move. He let that man cut his head off. No blood anywhere."

Stepping back from the window, Neil glanced around the room, his eyes tracing the previously unnoticed runes scratched into the wood along the walls. "Pa just got back up, his head right back where it was supposed to be. Took one step and cut the knight in half like all that armor was made of paper." His eyes settled backed to the stunned group, fully meeting Emma's shocked expression. "So yeah, I'm going to have to say you can put all the holes in him you want, it's not going to work."

"Mirror, mirror on the wall," a voice called from the street.

Both David and Emma lunged for the windows, staring outside to watch as a well dressed Rumplestiltskin slowly paced back and forth before the shop.

"Who's the fairest of them all?" He grinned to the onlookers, reaching one hand out toward his captive audience. "Why, Snow White of course!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note**: Forgive my creative liberties. I don't have a beta reader, and sometimes I don't catch things when re-reading my work. If you catch any discrepancy, typo, or otherwise odd text, please let me know so I can spiffy it up. Thank you for reading and your awesome comments. I apologize to all the Rumple lovers reading this, but it's going to get a little dark for him later on. I'm a sadist, I torture everyone I love. It's how I show affection.

**Part Four**

Regina closed her eyes, pressing her palms into the smooth wood of the mayor's oak desk. They had teleported back to the office moments after Rumplestiltskin vanished. Everything was so easy now. With the Dark One on her side, none of the goodie-goodies of the town could stand in her way. She had thought Rumple a friend before, in a sense anyway. He had taught her, helped make her what she was. Even with a part of her understanding he had done nothing but manipulate her, it was a dance between the two of them. She tried to outwit him and he would likewise return the favor. Now she had won with her mother's help. Rumplestiltskin wasn't a friend anymore, he was a tool. Tools were meant to be used. However, there was something in Cora which troubled Regina. The strange glint in her mother's eyes she had not previously seen, not for many years.

Cora stood near one of the large windows, still holding onto the dagger, keeping it close to her chest. Her back was turned, watching with a greedy, victorious stare into the town.

"He'll come back with her heart," Cora commented quietly. "You'll have everything you desire."

Shifting, Regina let her worry slip away. Her mother only had her best interests a heart. Anyone could see that was obvious, she was only being paranoid. "What happens then?" Regina asked. "He'll plot against us." Silence stretched between him as a worrying thought rose in Regina's mind. "Are you planning on taking his power?"

Rumplestiltskin was a twisted creature, once a man but now a thing warped by the darkness which took up residence in his body to feed on whatever was left of his soul. She couldn't imagine her mother with that kind of putrid rot eating away at her. Couldn't imagine soft skin corrupted by the hideous rough scales or Cora's pristine smile hidden behind yellowed decay. Her mother had always seemed to have difficulty showing her love, but she was quite certain if the power of the Dark One resided within her there would be no love at all. That kind of darkness twisted everything the person was into something unrecognizable.

"You are asking if I will become the new Dark One?" Cora's voice rose slightly as she broke her focus from the view and turned to smile at her daughter. "No. I won't. I don't need to pay his price to use his power."

She approached Regina's desk, settling herself into one of the comfortable chairs, the dagger nestled into her lap. "Rumplestiltskin took his power from the previous Dark One, and it was such a foolish choice. To pay the price required is hardly worth it. He makes a much better pet alive than dead.

Looking up, Cora locked eyes with her daughter, a fiendish smile twisting the older woman's lips. "You see, were I to take Rumple's life with this dagger, I would gain his power but also lose myself in the process. I can't imagine letting the black ichor inside him control me. It eats his soul, his heart, and his humanity. That's the price he pays every time he uses it. So you see, Regina dear," Cora's tone chided as if she were speaking to a simple minded child. "Keeping him at heel is the best option. My soul is intact, and he's well behaved."

"He said it didn't matter," Regina replied slowly, her eyes sliding to observe a shadowy glint slithering across the dagger's surface, like a slug leaving a trail of slime. She shuddered, wondering how her mother could stand to touch the thing. Even her own dark magic felt a mere grain of sand in the presence of the ocean. "Even if you ordered him, you would still pay the price."

Cora chuckled, her head falling back slightly, hair sweeping from her shoulders. "That's the beauty of it, dear. Magic's cost requires you to have something precious to lose." With a simple shrug, Cora continued to smile. "I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Once this town is secured for you, Rumplestiltskin and I will return to the Forest. Your curse did not capture everyone."

"What?" Regina frowned, her expression hardening as she straightened her spine and stared at her mother. "What do you mean? Of course it did. That was the whole point!"

"No no, dear," Cora shook her head, a smile decorating her lips. "Your curse could not travel the entire world. It only captured those in the areas you focused on. You didn't think you could fit the entire world's population in this one little town did you?" She laughed, tilting her head in a slight canter to the side. "My dear, Regina. You followed his plan perfectly. You have to learn not to be so easily led." Leaning forward, she rested a hand atop her daughter's. "Don't worry, Regina dear. I'm back now, and going to make everything right."

Rumplestiltskin paced slowly before the shop, his eyes narrowed as he observed the slight shimmer in the air. It was imperceptible to nearly all but for him. He could see the magic as it was, and this spell would not allow him to step through it. A barrier of his own design, specifically built to keep magic out while allowing normal creatures to pass through unharmed.

"You!" the Dark One snarled, jabbing a finger toward Emma as she peered through the window at him. "Your big speech on trust and family. I fell for it. Had you not interfered, Cora would have never found the dagger!"

Flame danced along his arm, purple flames tipped in inky blackness. "It's time to start trusting your family now," he mocked her. "You need help and can't keep yourself walled away!" Stretching his arm out, he released the flames, watching them explode against the barrier inches from the wall.

A grin spread itself over his face, his head falling back as he spun in slowly. "Well now we are all about trust, aren't we dearie? So I'm sure you can trust when I tell you the only reason you're not dead is because of me, several times over. You can trust that Snow White is my current target, and you can trust that anyone standing in the way will be remembered by the black smear upon the ground they last stood." He shifted and moved dramatically, emphasizing each of his sentences with eerie flair.

Emma glanced to David, her eyes flickering toward Mary Margret. "What do we do? Isn't there a way we can stun him? That ink crap? This place is a gold mine, he should have some here, right?"

Snow nodded, turning to look around at the various vials of different sizes scattered along the shelves and walls. "Maybe, at least we can look."

Neil pressed a hand to his head, breathing slowly as he listened to the others talk. "If we can stun him, that would be great, but it wouldn't solve our problem. An hour later he's after us again. We need the dagger, it's the only way to stop him."

"How exactly are we going to get the dagger? Charge into Regina's office and demand Cora hand it over? She'd have him there in a second and it'd be over for us." David hefted his sword, brushing a hand over the door. There was no way out, the moment it was open the wards were broken and Snow would be served up on a silver plate. Suddenly, David keenly missed Rumplestiltskin's games back in the Enchanted Forest. At least he wasn't trying to slaughter them all then.

Emma tightened her grip on her pistol, cursing having been dragged into this world of magic and mayhem. At least the normal world made sense. She watched Gold approach the door, glare intently at it, then return to his pacing. It was his own spell which kept him out, which also meant if there was any weakness, flaw, or loophole, he would know about that too. There wasn't much time to sit around and play guessing games.

"I have an idea," she offered, sliding a hand into her pocket and withdrawing her cellphone. "We talk to Regina. Maybe there's a chance we can solve this diplomatically and no one loses their heart."


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes**: Hope you are enjoying. Thank you for reading and please remember that comments make me happy. I feed off them like candy.

**Part Five**

"Call him off," Emma growled into the phone when she heard the line pick up. She had not waited for Regina to answer. Rudeness was probably not the best option, but Emma was a bit too stressed for formalities. Gold had vanished, and they could hear him walking along the side of the building. It was a bit unnerving to say the least.

"Let's work this out without anyone getting hurt, alright? What kind of town are you going to have if everyone is dead or martyred?"

Regina's expression was a mix of triumph and irritation. Why had Rumplestiltskin not returned with Snow White's heart? They must be holding him at bay somehow and were now attempting some form of bartering. How simple minded. They wouldn't be able to reason with him, even if he wanted to. It wasn't his choice any more. So they were reasoning with her.

"Why, exactly, would I bargain with you when I have all the power in this situation? You have nothing to offer me, Sheriff Swan. Not anymore." Regina felt the words in her mouth, sweet as sugar apples upon her tongue. This was her moment, she had finally won. Her perfect happy ending just as she wanted it.

Emma met Neil's gaze, her eyes darting to Ruby who had wrapped Henry in her arms and pulled him into the back of the shop where he would be out of the way and safe. But safe from what? Everyone on both sides of this confrontation wanted to protect him. Henry was the least likely to get hurt. Except by the one rogue variable in the situation. Gold couldn't control himself, so what would happen if Henry was in the way?

"We have Henry," she stated. "You want him to get hurt? Gold is a loose cannon, a bomb that destroys everything near him. Right now, he's very close and his fuse is lit."

Regina hesitated, her eyes moving to Cora who had stepped back to the window. "He won't hurt Henry," Regina stated, though there was a slight waver in her voice. It was just a nagging worry, ever so slight, but there. Cora was the one who controlled Rumplestiltskin, not her. Who was Henry to Cora? Would she care if the boy was hurt in crossfire? Or would he be so easily replaceable?

Cora stood at the window, one hand hanging stiffly at her side while the other clutched the dagger against her breast. Closing her eyes, she whispered to the glass, and began to channel a bit of her magic, her will, through her hand and into the dagger. She surrounded it in the invisible force, crushing around the captive dark magic.

"Bring me Snow White's heart," she whispered forcefully. "Now."

"You don't sound so sure about that, Regina," Emma replied, turning to look through the window again to see Gold standing mere feet from the door. He almost looked in pain, a grimacing snarl affixed across his features.

David hefted his sword, watching the door with a focused expression. The air pressure had intensified and Emma felt as if her head had been stuffed with cotton. It almost felt as if an electric current were traveling through the shop and too much static was building up.

"Oh God," Neil whispered. "He's shorting out the barrier."

Lowering the phone slightly, Emma looked to him and felt unnerved by the worry she saw there. "Shorting out the... What does that mean?"

"It means," Neil paused as a pulse rippled through the air.

Emma lowered the phone, her eyes darting to Ruby clutching Henry and looking around with deep concern. Around them, the web of runes carved over the walls of the shop had begun to glow. Looking back to David and Snow, she dropped the phone and bolted to her son, Neil at her heels. David grabbed Snow's arm and shoved her to the side, shielding her from what was coming.

"Boom!" Rumplestiltskin's voice echoed merrily through the quiet street, his hands raised and fingers pressed against the now visibly quivering barrier.

The magic caved in, crumbling in on itself as the energy of the shield condensed within the shop then exploded outward in a sonic explosion. Walls sheered apart sending debris, items, and people hurling about.

Striding through the destruction, before the dust had even settled, Rumplestiltskin's golden eyes scanned the shop, shrunken pupils focusing upon his target.

"Ahh, there you are," he purred, lifting a hand and shaking a single finger at her as a parent would a naughty child. "Tsk, tsk. Look at what a mess you've made." She had been pinned beneath a sizable chunk of the wall, and he crouched beside her as she glared up at him with a mix of fear and rage.

Adopting his own hurt expression, Rumple pressed a hand to his chest. "Why the sour face, Princess? I'm just following orders, and I'm quite sure you can guess whose they are."

"Did she tell you to kill me?" she wheezed, breathing in the dust thick air. "Is this it? Did Regina finally win?"

"Regina, dearie? Oh no," the sorcerer chuckled, pressing his palm against Snow's chest. "Cora has the dagger. You should know, hmm? You and your little prince Charming gave it to her. I told Miss Swan where it was, and she told you. So you can relax knowing I'm perfectly under control, and Cora doesn't want you dead any more than I do."

Leaning down, Rumple sneered. "How will you escape this one then, Snow White?"

The Dark One grunted, the tip of a sword bursting from his chest. "Get away from her," roared a very strained, and very angry voice. Rumple only chuckled, his eyes never leaving Snow's as a pulse in the air arched from his body, sending David careening into the rubble. Pressing his arm forward, Rumple wrapped his fingers around Snow's heart, ripping outward with the now enchanted organ in his grasp.

"Looks like I just traded, hm? You took my will away, so I get to take yours. I always was fond of poetic justice."

"Gold!" Emma snarled, coughing as she fought through the rubble, gun aimed at the sorcerer.

Bowing his head to her, the Dark One vanished leaving nothing but a swirling cloud of purple smoke, Snow white gasping upon the ground with her hands clutched over her chest.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **This is quickly becoming one of my more popular fanfiction stories, which I find a little surprising given how little effort I'm throwing at it. Normally, with most of my fanfiction and my more lengthy original tales, I spend a good deal of time planning each chapter out, writing and rewriting, letting it sit then going back and rewriting it again. And when I think it looks decent I'll publish or share it, which is why my Hellsing readers are still waiting for updates. This story, however, has become something of a fun little diversion. I edit and reread it, sure. But I don't stress over it which is how it's getting updated so quickly. Thank all you guys for the comments! Brightens my day each morning to see them.

**Part Six**

From the earliest days of her life, Cora had known she would somehow find a way to become great, to have others kneel at her feet and scramble over themselves to carry out her wishes. When she was much younger, she held strong to the idea that a prince would fall in love with her and she would become queen. It was a fantasy she had played out with herself and whatever playmate would have her. As she grew older, the grim truth of life slowly dawned on her. A drunkard father, and the only prospects for marriage were grime covered peasants she could barely stand to look at. Selling flour to the castle was as close as she ever came to becoming royalty.

A part of her mind had refused to accept the reality of backbreaking work for the rest of her life, bowing and scraping to the inbred royals who ruled over her. That little scheming part of her constantly searched for some way out, some way to rise above what she had been handed. It was that lowest point in her life that she had realized there were other options for her to reach her goals. The Dark One and his magic. She had heard stories of him, to be sure, but had passed them off as ridiculous legends and over imagination from the traveling storytellers.

She had never considered magic as any factor in her plans. Magic was something rarely seen in her kingdom. But when he appeared she knew her life had changed. Seeing him that first time in the tower cell, she knew his power would help her change her life. All she had to do was take control of that power. Cora had convinced him to teach her magic, how to channel her rage at the people who had treated her as inferior. She had been the only one to trick him out of a deal, the only one to ever get him to change a deal, that she knew of anyway.

When he vanished some time after she won their game, Cora realized she would never have the level of power the Dark One controlled. He grew in power over time, almost as if the darkness within him continued to feed on the deals he made, making him stronger with every passing year. He could take the power from others, adding it to his own, continually building his arsenal without end for he was immortal. She would never be able to do what he did. That became all the more clear when he tricked her daughter into sending her to Wonderland.

Such a twisted little world was no match for her level of cleverness and ability. Very soon she became the Queen of Hearts, controlling all the land with more power than any visitor ever understood. She gained her power by taking absolute control of all her subjects. By taking their hearts, capturing their will.

Cora looked down to the streets of Storybrooke, watching the civilians run about in a panic. Several of those civilians were kings, queens, princes of their own lands. Many were peasants, some even magical creatures. The Enchanted Forest, however, had not been entirely touched by the curse Rumplestiltskin had devised. It may have been an oversight on his part, or the make up of his curse itself. Regina was only focused on part of the world, the part that concerned her. It was that region which had been affected. But then, Regina was simply short sighted. Her daughter had never been able to see the bigger picture. She had never understood.

"What have you done?" Regina whispered, dropping the strange device of this world that allowed distance communication.

How odd it was this world replaced magic with these devices. She itched to leave this magic void realm. She had what she had come for, though there was still a few loose ends to tie off.

Cora turned, a smile spreading over her lips as her daughter approached. "Done? I am giving you everything you wanted, darling."

"You threw my son in the cross fire! I wanted Snow White to pay, but not at the cost of his safety!"

Regina had trouble catching her breath as several emotions crashed through her. Rage at her mother's lack of interest in Henry's life. Worry for her son. In all the turmoil, turning to see the swirl of deep purple smoke boiling in the center of the room brought yet another emotion. Victory.

Leaving her mother where she stood, Regina strode quickly to Rumple, matching the sorcerer's gaze with a dark glare. "Where is Henry?" she snapped.

A smirk tugged at the edge of his lips, his eyes wandering off to the side as he tilted his head back. "How should I know, your Majesty? Possibly buried under six feet of rubble." Gasping, he leaned forward to whisper. "Maybe he's dead." The Dark One's voice pitched higher, almost sing songing his words very reminiscent of the monster he had been in the Forest. "I can imagine how that would be a bit of a problem."

"You bastard," she snarled, clenching her fist as her muscles jumped when the thought of striking him filtered through her mind.

"Now now!" he chuckled, stepping to the side and moving around her as he walked toward Cora. "Anger will get you nowhere, Dearie. I did warn you after all, but need I say it again?" Shrugging, he turned, walking backwards as he waved a glowing heart clasped within his long fingered grip. "All magic, comes with a price." His tone had fallen, almost a dark growl.

Cora watched him turn back to her, his grin quickly falling to an almost emotionless mask. She saw his anger, the rage the boiled like a tempest just beneath the surface. It was oh so evident in those dark eyes of his, hints of his true eye color, the strange starburst of bi-golden shade, flecking here and there as he gripped at the magic at his command. How interesting to see him as a human here. He almost looked bland and uninteresting without his scales and wild eyes.

She had spent her time in Wonderland scheming against him, gathering information on his plans. She had gathered hearts, reaped them from all who could even be remotely useful. In the world of magic, the heart gave control of the person. With the Dark One it was different. She doubted he even had a heart, not like humans anyway. She held the Dark One's heart, the strangely warm metal dagger she still gripped.

Her eyes dropped slightly, observing the heart he rolled between his hands. Tilting her head up to look down her nose at him, she gave him a serpentine smile. "Now, Rumple," her eyes matched his. "You really should stop agitating Regina. She was the one who cast the curse you couldn't so that you could reunite with your son, correct? You should thank her, by giving her the heart she wanted most."

"Of course," he growled, dipping at the waste and sweeping his arms out in a bow.

The sight swelled joy within her chest. Here was the greatest power in every realm she had knowledge of, bowing to her, obeying her. This was what she had wanted from the very moment she understood her place in life as a young girl. The power to command any who dared look down to her to kneel. Never again would she be forced to kneel and apologize to any snobbish royal. They would all answer to her now.

Cora watched as Rumple swept about, turning on a heel to return to Regina who still stood with clenched fists. "One heart of Snow White," he purred, almost in mockery, as he offered the heart to her.

Regina stiffly watched him, her jaw clenched as her eyes focused on the glowing heart. Snow White's heart, something she had spent a great deal of her life trying to destroy. Here it was, offered to her as easily as that. But it was all wrong. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. She was supposed to win everything, and the most important part was missing.

"I want my son," she growled, ignoring the heart. "I don't care what happens to that stupid girl. Bring me Henry."

Sighing, Rumplestiltskin slid back from Regina, holding the heart close to his chest as if consoling an offended child. "After all the work I just did? How ungrateful." Leaning forward, he took Regina's hand, lifting it as he inclined his head and brushed his lips over the back of her knuckles. Pressing the heart into her fingers, he grinned as a wolf would at an unprotected lamb. "Is it everything you desired, your Majesty?" he purred, a common phrase asked to those he made particularly unpleasant deals with.

Regina glared darkly at him, clenching her fist around the heart. She wanted to blame Snow White. Oh how she wanted to tell herself this misfortune was all Snow's fault, that Henry's placement in the face of danger was that annoying girl's doing. But the grinning face of the sorcerer before her told her she couldn't blame Snow, not this time.

Whatever had happened to Henry when Rumplestiltskin had gone for Snow White's heart, if he were injured, safe yet scared, or dead, it was the fault of the one who controlled Rumple. Her mother was at fault. Her mother taking another she loved, just as she did with Daniel.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Notes:** Well, I'm certainly enjoying myself. The new episodes are so delightful. I feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

**Part Seven**

Regina backed away from Rumple, her eyes wide as she turned to glare at her mother. "I'm going to get Henry," she stated, almost as if in shock. Heart still gripped in shaking fingers, the queen vanished in a purple smoke very similar to that of the Dark One.

"Alone at last," Cora's words almost echoed through the room.

Rumplestiltskin felt a cold stone drop into his stomach, fingers pressed together almost as if he were praying. Cora was no longer an opponent, no longer an enemy or an annoyance to be dealt with. She wasn't the woman who had tricked him with emotion his curse had yet to eat away. No, now Cora was something much more dangerous to him and the world. She was his master.

"Did it ever occur to you as ironic that a creature so powerful could be dominated so simply?" He kept his back to her, listening to her voice as she began to approach. Involuntarily, muscles bunched beneath his skin, his eyes closing as he fought a tremble over his spine.

"It has crossed my mind," he replied, slowly turning to face her, his eyes narrowed as he waited for some trick. How silly, to expect a trick from her now of all times. There was no need for her to resort to trickery anymore. He wasn't sure as to the full extent of her power over him. After all, he did not spend much time asking Zoso what he felt before taking the curse upon himself, and in order for him to research what would happen if someone else had the dagger, he would actually have to give it to someone. How sad it was to realize that he trusted no one that much, not even his son.

There was a good side to that, Cora would have just as little information on their new relationship as he did. It seemed they would both have a bit of learning to do.

Cora paused a bare foot from him, poised and very regal in her posture. Raising a hand, she pressed the tip of the dagger beneath his chin, forcing his head back. Rumple did not even attempt to fight against her manipulation, letting her pose him as if he were a puppet on strings. The dagger's touch against his skin felt different. Before it felt like a part of him, an extension of his body or being. He had felt secure with it, as one would their own hand. It was only a tool to him, the body of his curse. To the touch it had always felt a bit warm, as if alive. It would sing to him, whisper within his mind.

No longer was it a friend to him. In the hands of another, wielded by Cora, the dagger had become something entirely different. As she pressed the blade tip beneath his chin, it felt too cold, burning at the touch. Rumplestiltskin kept his expression monotonous, wanting to keep all the secrets he could. What would Cora do with the knowledge that he could be hurt by mere touch?

She bared his throat, her venomous smile spreading. "You were frozen in time the moment you became the Dark One, weren't you? How interesting to see you as a normal man, well, as normal as this world can make you." Lowering the dagger, she pressed a finger beneath his chin, sliding her thumb along his lips. "I always thought you might have been handsome once, seems I was right." Cora's eyes slid across his form as a chuckle rumbled from her lips. "A bit scrawny, to be sure, but a handsome face. You're calmer too, it would seem. Your mannerisms even becoming more human. This world lets you blend in among everyone else."

Rumplestiltskin wanted to step back, to put distance between them and compose himself. He despised not having control of a situation, and the town's magic was too limited for him to see the future. At times he had blurry flashes but nothing solid enough to use and he certainly couldn't visualize perfect grasps of the future as he could in the Forest.

"I don't age," he stated simply, a strange feeling of pride at the monotone of his voice. She wouldn't know his fear. "I am as I always was," he continued. "Eager for everlasting beauty, Dearie? There's only one way to get it, so why not?"

Tilting her head to the side, Cora's hand slid from his chin, slowly wrapping fingers tightly around his throat. "Certainly a thought," she mused, lifting her free hand to press the tip of his dagger against his chest. "How simple it would be? Cora, the new Dark One. A bit of a ring to it I think."

She closed the distance between them, fingers pressing hard into the flesh of his neck, angling his head back to bare his chest, dagger poised to take his life. Rumple shivered, hands lifting to hover in the air in a desire to defend himself, and yet completely unable to. His breath escaped in ragged gasps, and the fear which exploded across his expression, shattering his expressionless mask, blossomed Cora's smile into a wicked grin.

"Not yet," she raised the dagger, patting his cheek with the flat of the blade, his name etched in full view. "I don't want your curse, Rumple. Your power, yes, but not the curse that comes with it. So I will just settle for having you, my little dancing puppet." She released his throat, backing a step to slide her fingers across the serpentine shape of the dagger. "Kneel," she commanded.

The Dark One's jaw clenched, hands flexing as his body already began to drop to the floor. He tried to fight, to command his body to resist. How much control did she really have? A sharp stab of agony, a white hot spike driven into the base of his skull, shattered his thoughts as he dropped to his knees at her feet. Sitting on his heels, he trembled, eyes slowly opening to gaze up at her as he wrestled with the terror which now blossomed fully within his chest.

So that's what happened when the Dark One fought his master. Certainly not an experience he ever cared to repeat. His throat felt raw, had he cried out? Shaking his head, Rumplestiltskin grit his teeth, dropping his head to glare at the floor.

Cora's empty hand slid through his hair, an almost comforting touch. "To have the world kneel at my feet," she mused to herself. "To be above them all and never have them look down on me again."

Gripping his hair, she forcefully tilted his head back and frowned into those dark eyes of his. "Why does Regina so often spurn my desires to raise her through the status of life? Because of me she has become queen and can now possess anything she desires. Yet still she thinks I'm some kind of opponent."

Without waiting for his answer as he was still working to recover, she sighed, a soft shake of her head as she released his. "No matter. We will be leaving this world soon enough. If Regina fails to see what I have given her, and can still give her, how I can elevate her, then I suppose I will have to resort to drastic measures yet again."

Turning, Cora strode to the Mayor's chair, settling herself into the soft leather and casually crossing her legs. She placed the dagger across a small pile of papers before her, the soft viper's smile decorating her lips. "Come, Rumple dear, we have a few things to discuss."

She watched him rise and approach her, his mannerisms stiff. Cora vaguely wondered exactly what kind of affect her having the dagger had upon him. Interestingly enough, she decided as long as he was useful, his mental state really didn't matter. For the years she had known him, Rumplestiltskin had never been fully sane, at least by human standards.

At her command, the Dark One returned to his knees on the floor at her feet, upper lip quivering as he glared off to the side. Leaning forward, Cora slid her fingers through his hair, once more gathering the soft tresses into her fist and pulling his head back to meet his eyes.

"Who is this Henry my daughter is so apt to protect?"


End file.
